Power electronic devices are often used in high power applications, such as those commonly found in industries such as Petrochemical, Food & Beverage, Mining & Metals, Utilities and Water/Wastewater. These devices include semiconductor devices that provide control for high power systems such as motor drive units. High power semiconductor devices often conduct high levels of current, and often include one or more high-speed switching components that alter the flow of such current as a result of switching operations. Such changing current flow in turn produces rapidly-changing magnetic fields. These fields exert Lorentz forces on current-carrying conductors, which can result in mechanical resonance in the high power semiconductor devices.
Such mechanical resonance occurring in high power semiconductor devices (or other electrical devices) can sometimes produce an audible level of acoustic noise that is undesirable. Sometimes the acoustic noise not only is undesirable but also can exceed standards which are applicable for acoustic noise levels, such that one or more noise reduction techniques should be implemented so that the motor drive unit (which houses the devices) is compliant with applicable standards such as those published by IEEE and OSHA.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous if a system and/or method for reducing the levels of acoustic noise generated by electrical devices could be developed.